Party help please - 10 x 7yr olds

[theladylovescupcakes]

Having a birthday tea party for my son a week on Monday. It's been ages since I've done a party at home.

was planning pass the parcel, pin the tail on the donkey for games. pizza, sandwiches, crisps, etc for food and have a chocolate fountain with marshmallows, fruit, etc for dipping.

Any and all suggestions for food/activities gratefully received. Thanks

Initial response: can you do any outside games with them to really let them run around and burn energy? Tag, football, treasure hunt, races, etc. Your plan sounds lovely but is dependent on a lot of well behaved sitting around and waiting their turn....are 7 year old boys good at that?

Also, is choc fountain likely to end up everywhere with over-excited boys? Wouldn't likely be a problem with girls, but boys could be another matter........

Good luck!

TBH - those games do seem a bit young for 7yo.

What about eating chocolate with a knife and fork?
Kids all sit in circle and throw a dice, first one to roll a 6 runs up to the table and puts on hat, scarf and gloves and then has to cut a bar of dairy milk with knife and fork and eat it. ret of kids continue to roll dice until someone else rolls a 6 and then the person eating chocolate has to stop and other person takes over.
We played this last night for Halloween and it was very popular and fast moving.

TBH - those games do seem a bit young for 7yo.

What about eating chocolate with a knife and fork?
Kids all sit in circle and throw a dice, first one to roll a 6 runs up to the table and puts on hat, scarf and gloves and then has to cut a bar of dairy milk with knife and fork and eat it. ret of kids continue to roll dice until someone else rolls a 6 and then the person eating chocolate has to stop and other person takes over.
We played this last night for Halloween and it was very popular and fast moving.

Could you buy pizza bases and have decorate their own pizza, choosing their favourite toppings?
I like Wallop the Cod. Give each child a paper fish- crease it lengthways down the centre for more lift. Each child has a newspaper and has to move the fish to the finish line by banging the newspaper on the floor to create air to lift the fish forward. You could do it in heats and have a grand final. I have had the children decorate the fish in the past. Boys might like that- go faster fish stripes!

I think the games sound fine. Children seem to get very few invitations to 'traditional' type parties nowadays and they do enjoy them. We did them up until age 10 for the dds and they always went down well. I do think it's best if you have a theme though and fit the games around the theme.

We always liked the one where you lay out newspaper islands, which they dance around then when the music stops they jump on an island: you take one island away each time, like musical chairs but easier and takes up less space!

Pass the parcel with forfeits to make it last longer.

Dead lions to give you a few minutes of peace.

Mummy wrap in pairs.

thanks for the help guys, what's dead lions? haven't heard of that.

and how do you do pass the parcel with forfeits?

you can tell i haven't held many kids parties!

can't really do outside with them, we're in NE scotland, so it'll be dark at 4pm, that's if it's not raining!

Dead lions - they all lie down and pretend to be dead; they are out if they are caught moving; the winner is the one who can play dead for longest! If they are too good at it, you tickle them etc to try and make them move. Or you tell them that everybody else is out and they can get up now etc.

Forfeits - put a forfeit in each layer, along with a sweet. Eg: say the alphabet backwards; eat a fairy cake with no hands; eat a small bar of choc with a knife and fork; tell a joke; stand on one leg for 30 seconds etc etc.

How about a craft party.

I have done a few of these at work with boys and girls aged 8yrs and up. They are a huge hit.

For the 8yrs old we try and get them to do some mod-roc models. A bit messy, but they will sit for almost 45 minutes completely engrossed.

Mod-Roc bugs

You can buy a huge roll of mod roc for under a tenner. Get some pipe cleaners of all different colours. Some old newspaper and glue.

Tear the paper into strips and soak in a mix of glue & water (paper mache). Roll into a stone shape to make the body of the beetle. Body should be no bigger than the palm of your hand

Cut the Mod Roc into strips and dip into water, leave for a couple of seconds them wrap around the body.

Cut the pipe cleaners in half, hold one across the body, so legs stick out either side, wrap the mod roc around the legs to hold into place. Do this with 3 pipe cleaners making 6 legs. Then a smaller pipe cleaner wrapped in the same way for the antena.

Leave to dry for about 30-40 mins (whilst they are eating), then put a coat of paint on them. Sounds complicated but it's not and the older kids love it

Good luck

thanks for all your suggestions.